An essay about FREE, from Chris Anderson

 FREE, from  Chris Anderson,
the Editor in Chief of Wired.

Chris Anderson’s excerpt samples perfectly how the free concept works. Being very illustrative and using examples of the struggle of today’s well succeeded brands, he introduces – and explains- to us how every company, in the 21^st  century, is going to have to figure out how to use- or compete with- free.

With the media it is not different. The psychology that exists behind the concept of being “free” serves as a  hook to sell, to bound, to create intimacy, and to show what a vehicle can produce and offer to its viewers/readers.  Despite how free the media should be, ignoring the idea of free is something that will lead to bankruptcy. First of all, the media is made for the people, and above anything else, with the people. And countering this approach does not work. Free access and information is something that is happening for good, it’s not a trend: everyone now can become a citizen journalist, to begin with, and this is not going to stop. This idea will grow and strengthen each day along with a non-stop revolutionary technology.

In another excerpt of FREE, Anderson mentions the power of Brazilian street vendors, which is something familiar to me. He mentions a band called Calypso, which became a big sensation in the country thanks to the street vendors. The band never minded having their CDs being sold on the street, because selling CDs isn’t their main source of income, their shows are. “In a sense, the street vendors have become the advance team in each town that Calypso visits”, Anderson says. Having their content out there, getting popular and reaching more people every day, make them stronger, more powerful.

The reason I am mentioning this is to reinforce the idea that there is no way to compete with FREE. We – the media- have to be smart and walk along with it and identify if selling content is the main source or not, and find other ways to do so. Re-invent our ways to be profitable is the way to go. But we don't know this way just yet. One idea that works- at least for me - is to have free content on websites but also restricted access to some of it. I subscribe to a Brazilian newspaper and do not regret it. Since I am a student, I read this newspaper and have already created some kind of link with them, their columnists and ideas. The “Scooby snack” thing works with readers. An The New Yorker got me that way as well. And after having my Anderson’s snack, I am going to buy the book. I’m sure he knew it.